Mississauga’s Andreescu advances at Italian Open after opponent withdraws

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Published May 10, 2022 at 2:15 pm

Mississauga's Andreescu advances at Italian Open after opponent withdraws
Bianca Andreescu won her opening-round match today at Wimbledon. (File photo)

Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu has advanced to the second round of the Italian Open tennis tournament after her opponent withdrew from their match today (May 10), reportedly with a back injury.

Andreescu, 21, playing in only her third tournament since taking a break in 2019 due to a knee injury and mental health concerns, was leading her first-round match against England’s Emma Raducanu when play was halted in Rome.

The Mississaugan was up 6-2, 2-1 when the Toronto-born Raducanu, 19, winner of the 2021 US Open, decided she couldn’t continue the match.

Andreescu, ranked 90th in the world and taking on the 12th-ranked Raducanu, who was making her Italian Open debut, told European media that, “I hope Emma’s injury, or whatever she is dealing with, isn’t so bad. She is an amazing player.”

Next up for Andreescu is Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, the world’s 37th-ranked women’s singles player.

Andreescu, who burst onto the world tennis scene with a surprise US Open win in 2019, later told media at the Italian Open that the past few years have been tough for her, but she’s slowly “getting to my top form” again.

She added she was pleased with her play prior to her opponent’s withdrawal from the match.

On May 1, Andreescu defeated the United States’ Danielle Collins 6-1, 6-1 at the Mutua Madrid Open for her first win over a top-10 opponent since 2019.

Collins was ranked No. 8 at the time (now 9th).

In April, Andreescu returned to the court after a six-month absence to play at the Prosche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

Andreescu has battled through a number of injuries since capturing the hearts of many in this country in 2019 when she won the US Open, the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Over the last three years, her play has been limited to just 36 matches due to a knee injury and COVID-19. When she did play, she was inconsistent and bowed out of tournaments early.

She says she has taken the time off to prepare herself both physically and mentally, and adds her passion for the game has returned.

 

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